Year 3 of the Hugh Freeze era is well underway as the Auburn Tigers sit at 3-2 heading into their first bye week of the season.
It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride for observers of the Tigers this season. Auburn’s season swung from promise to frustration in a matter of weeks. The Tigers sparked a breakthrough by starting 3-0 for the second time in three seasons and cracking the AP top-25 for the first time since 2021. But back-to-back losses since the start of conference play leave Auburn in the same rut it has struggled to escape for the past four seasons.
As we enter Auburn’s first bye week of the season, here’s a look at each facet of the Tigers’ performance thus far:
Offense: D+
The first three games of the season showed extreme upside for the Tigers’ offense, which rushed for 724 yards and flashed potential in the passing game.
Freeze did an outstanding job of taking what the defense was giving him and playing to Auburn’s strengths. There was simply no need to air it out all over the place because the Tigers’ staple of ball carriers couldn’t be stopped on the ground.
That brings us to the last two weeks.
Despite poor officiating and some tough breaks, the Tigers still had ample opportunity to beat what’s now a top-5 Oklahoma team on the road. Instead, they committed 13 penalties for 85 yards, executed poorly on special teams and squandered multiple scoring opportunities.
A week removed from such a controversial, drama-filled loss, Auburn traveled to College Station to take on a top-10 SEC opponent in Texas A&M. Freeze said entering the matchup that the Tigers needed more designed run plays. Makes sense, considering Auburn boasted the second leading rusher in the SEC and the Aggies’ run defense was an extreme weak point of that unit.
But Freeze completely abandoned the run. Or, more accurately, never committed to it.
Auburn running backs Jeremiah Cobb and Damari Alston have received a combined 21 carries for 124 yards in the last two weeks.
Auburn’s offensive line, projected as a strength in the offseason, has been one of the team’s weakest links. The Tigers have allowed 14 sacks in the last two games.
There are plays to be made downfield, but quarterback Jackson Arnold has been extremely hesitant in the pocket, taking sacks and missing open receivers over the middle of the field.
It’s not all on one person or unit, but Freeze said after the most recent loss that he would ‘reevaluate’ everything offensively. That reevaluation is badly needed after a porous display over the last two weeks.
He has one week to do so before a top-10 Georgia team comes to town looking for its ninth straight win against the Tigers.
Defense: B+
After getting torched for 419 yards through the air in Week 1 against Baylor, Auburn’s defense has been the team’s strength again this year.
Ball State and South Alabama weren’t necessarily the toughest of opponents. And DJ Durkin’s unit did what it was supposed to do.
Against Oklahoma, the Tigers held a Heisman hopeful in check for nearly four quarters. Of course, there was the scoop-and-score overturned to an incompletion, which led to an early field goal for the Sooners. And, John Mateer completed 16 of his last 17 passes and led an ultimate game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
But it was in the midst of a woeful offensive performance. Auburn’s defense held the Sooners to 32 yards rushing, which were the fewest against a SEC opponent since holding Mississippi State to 13 yards rushing in 2022.
In the ensuing week, Auburn’s defense kept the Tigers in the game til the bitter end, despite surrendering 207 yards on the ground. It was Auburn’s best offense, even, with a 73-yard interception return, which led to Auburn’s only touchdown from two yards out.
The Tigers are giving up 16.4 points per game, the best since the 2021 season. So, Durkin’s unit gets a good grade heading into the bye week.
Special Teams: C-
Really, the only positives to take from this unit’s play this season are Rayshawn Pleasant’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Week 1 and Alex McPherson’s perfect performance in limited action.
Pleasant’s touchdown in Week 1 was Auburn’s longest kick return for a touchdown since Tre Mason’s 97-yarder vs. Utah State in the 2011 season opener. McPherson has gone a perfect 4-for-4 on field goal attempts this season.
But, walk-on kicker Town’s McGough missed badly on his only attempt of the season, leading to Connor Gibbs’ emergence into the Tigers’ lineup. Gibbs has also missed his only attempt.
Auburn has seen a handful of penalties set them back on kick returns this season. In the Oklahoma game, Auburn saw two penalties in that regard, a missed field goal, a punt fielded inside its own 5-yard line and an errant snap on a punt attempt that set up an eventual Sooners’ touchdown.
Special team’s coach Chad Lunsford’s unit has been underwhelming in his first year back on the Plains, continuing a trend under Freeze-led teams at Auburn.
What’s next?
Auburn will invite Georgia to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Oct. 11 for the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. Kick off will be under the lights, with time and broadcast options TBA.
